Improvement in car-couplings



UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'-

GEORGE It. MOORE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CR-COUPLING'S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,219, dated December529, 1874; application filed Y June 10, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEO. RODNEY MOORE, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specication:

The object of my invention is to provide facilities for coupling carswith the ordinary link and pins, automatically, at least so far as tosave from personal exposure the operator 5 also, to save the link fromexposure to injury from the instrumentalities I employ in coupling, byproviding for their immediate removal automatically out of the way. Mydevice may be considered in two divisions, as acting in one part forholding and releasing the pin, and in the other for holding the link,both of which are automatically removed out of the way of the link assoon as the cars are put in motion.

Figure l is a top view of the front portion of an ordinary draw-headcontaining` my device, shown with the upper plate of the drawheadremoved. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of Fig. 1, with thetop plate of the draw-head restored. Fig. 3 is a perspective view. Fig.4L is a longitudinal vertical section of the coupling, showing the pinwhen ele- 4 vated and resting on the plate l). Fig. 5 is a horizontalsection of the arms E and F, showing the position of the spring G.

A is the draw-head; B, the pin; G, the link, D, a top plate, projectingforward from the arm E, of which it is a part, to sustain the pin forthe time needed. E is a swinging arm, loosely jointed to the shaft H,and operated within certain limits by the spring G. F is an arm, rigidlyfastened to the shaft H. G is a spring, fastened to F and playing freelyupon E at a point outside of its proper fulcruin on H, so that thetendency of .this spring is to keep the inner end of E close up to theinner end of F, thus causing D to come far enough forward to hold up thepin, while F is left far enough back not to interfere with the link. His a vertical shaft, passing up through both plates of the draw-head andplaced sufficiently on one side to be always out of the way of the link.In this case it carries all the parts of my device, although separationsmight be made and another shaft brought into use. I and II arefriction-plates. I is fast to H, and I left free to move upward, but notto turn on H. J is a spring; K, a screw-nut for forcing the spring J andplate I' against the solid plate of the draw-head, and thus increasingthe frictional hold of the shaft H to any desired extent, for eitherbringing the clamps E and F into use, or for holding them both e11-tirely out of the way of the link when the cars are running, by whichprovision all injury to the link by wear from my coupling device isavoided. m is a guard, and wa stop-lever, by which the operator cannever go amiss in placing my device for its work.

The operation of this coupling is as follows: Bearing in mind that thereare two draw-heads with. the same device complete, and two pins, but onelink, then, first, that the 'main object of E and D, loosely jointed toH, and operated to a limited extent by the spring G, is to hold up thepin until the link from the other draw-head to be coupled shall comeagainst E and press it back, (the spring allowing it to go far enough torelease the pin Without moving F at all,) when the pin will drop intothe said link, and the act of coupling be thereby completed; and,second, that the main object of F is to clamp the link against the pin,and thereby hold it firmly enough in the one-drawhead to carry it intothe other and to release the pin, as above shown, by which, again, theact of coupling is completed; after this, if when the cars start thelink presses sufficienti y against F to overcome the friction of H, asadjusted, both arms E and F will be pushed back out of the way untilagain manually brought forward for another act of coupling.

The parts to be done manually in preparing my device for automaticcoupling are, iirst, in one draw-head, turn H, by the crank or leverextending out from it, back against the guide m. That will bring D inplace to hold up the pin, in which condition it should receive it.Second, in the other draw-head, turn H back so as to bring F firmlyagainst the link, so clamping it against the pin in right position toenter the draw-head; then running the cars together they will couple, asbefore explained.

I claim as my inventionl. The arm F, in combination with shaft H, withthe shaft H, arm F, spring` J, and nut K, friction-plates I I', and nutK, as and for the as and for the purpose set forth. purpose set forth.5. The guard-plate m and stop-lever n, in 2. The combination of the ermlE and plate combination with the shaft H and arms E D with the arm F andshaft H, as and for the and F, as and for the purpose set forth. purposeset forth.

3. The spring G, in combination with the GEO. R. MOORE. arms E and F andshaft H, as and for the Witnesses; purpose set forth. JACOB R. MASSEY,

4. The friction-plates I I', in combination JACOB REYMOND.

